New York State Senator John Bonacic (R-42) has introduced a bill that would bring regulated online poker to the Empire State. Full text of the bill (S 5302) is available here. You can track the bill’s progress here. This marks the second consecutive year that Bonacic has introduced online poker legislation. HIs attempt in 2014 – matched by companion legislation in the Assembly –  failed to move beyond committee. The bill is largely similar to the one introduced by Bonacic in 2014. One key difference: this version lacks a so-called “bad actor clause” that would preclude companies, individuals or assets involved in…

PokerStars is bringing the big guns to California. Two of the site’s most recognizable faces (at least for the American audience) will be in California’s capitol city this week, as Jason Somerville and Daniel Negreanu will host a live demo at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento on May 21 from 10am – 12pm. The demonstration, which will include the chance to play against the pros (play-money, of course), will come just one day after a joint Senate / Assembly informational hearing for online poker. The demonstration will occur in parallel with the Capitol Weekly California Gaming Conference, which OPR will…

WSOP.com launched a support forum on its website. It is available for players interested in online poker at the WSOP.com regulated poker sites in Nevada and New Jersey. Live participants in the World Series of Poker tournaments may also post questions. The forum is moderated by WSOPBill. This is the same username used by WSOP.com poker room manager Bill Rini. Forum topics include questions about World Series of Poker scheduling, funding of World Series of Poker accounts, general support questions for the online poker sites, and promotional inquiries. There are also links provided to the site’s mobile, PC, and Mac…

iGaming Business – Online poker supporters in California are celebrating a step forward for legalisation in the US state. The Assembly Governmental Organisation Committee (GO) voted unanimously in favor of advancing AB 431, sponsored by Assemblymember Adam Gray. While this move does not make it law, it pushes it along to the next legislative step and is significant because it is a first legislative victory for poker in California and it was unclear that it would have enough support to progress. The vote was welcomed by the ‘Amaya Coalition’, which is a group of interested parties including PokerStars owner Amaya…

iGaming Business – The so-called ‘bad actor’ clause could be altered when a fresh internet poker bill is presented in the US state of California in the next legislative session. Internet poker bills from California Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer and Senator Joe Correa were introduced by their authors in February this year, but ultimately scrapped earlier this month. However, Jones-Sawyer has suggested that the controversial bad actor clause – which excluded any operator or market affiliate involved in online gaming in the US after December 31, 2006 from applying for a licence – might be reworded for the 2015-16 legislative session….

Poker Fuse – A player at Seals With Clubs (SwC) has reported that Bitcoin exchange Coinbase cancelled his access to their services after he made a deposit onto the world’s leading Bitcoin-only online poker room. Coinbase stated that it is “a regulated Money Service Business under the FinCEN division of the U.S. Treasury Department” and erroneously claimed that gambling “is illegal under US law.” The message went on to caution that “even if you live outside of the US we cannot provide services to your account for the purpose of any type of gambling activity.” Coinbase is a leading Bitcoin…